The General and the Princess
by tangerinefever
Summary: AU He was soldier. She was the princess of Japan. They never should have even met. But fate has a funny way of changing lives... EDITED!
1. Promotion

**A/N: I watched Gladiator last weekend and…inspiration hit me! So I thought about writing a fic, and tada! The end product. This is going to be a multi-chapter fic, probably medium-long length. I've already written the first 4 chapters, so I'm DETERMINED to FINISH THIS. Anyway, after spending hours (no joke) of research so this thing is halfway historically correct, I hope you guys will like it. **

**Tell me what you think, and have fun reading it! **

--

Shikamaru Nara strode through the palace corridor, two of his men trailing respectfully behind him. He was a commanding presence, clad in mud-spattered amour and carrying a helmet under his arm with the crest of the Imperial Japanese Army imprinted onto the forehead.

Shikamaru grimaced slightly as the wound in his leg flared up again. The Emperor had requested for him as soon as he and his men had returned to the palace. Needless to say, he had not had the time to attend to his wounds before he went to the meeting.

They had just returned from a battle in the south, against a group of rioting samurai, led by Saigo Takamori. Lately the politics of the palace had been causing a lot of trouble for the army, as they fought samurai who were fuming over the most recent law that all men were allowed to carry a weapon, an honour previously only bestowed to the samurai class.

Turning the corner, he and his men ran into a group of officials, who quickly made way for the three fearsome looking men.  
Striding on, he reached the gold-gilded doors belonging to the Emperor quickly. Shikamaru silently prayed that this meeting would be a brief one, as he wanted to tend to his wounds. Although his face depicted no trace of it, both he and his men knew that he held politics in low esteem, preferring to stay out of it if at all possible.

Knocking quietly, he waited for a servant to open the doors for him. Sure enough, a small balding man opened the door, saw the Lieutenant Colonel, and quickly ushered him in. Leading him though the complex set of hallways and archways, he brought them to the Emperor's office. Bowing, he motioned for them to enter.

The Emperor sat behind his desk, writing with an ornate mother-of-pearl pen. At the arrival of his guests, he looked up, and smiled.  
"Welcome back Shikamaru. I trust that you are well?"

"As well as I could be, your majesty."

Bowing low, he gestured for his men to exit the room. Nodding, they dutifully followed his orders without argument.

"Please, sit."

As he sat down on the fine tatami mat, he noticed that the Emperor was looking tired and worn. Tactfully, he decided not to comment on it.

"So Shikamaru, what happened out there?"

Closing his eyes, Shikamaru prepared his speech.

"The samurai were furious at your decree, highness. They were adamant that it is a disgrace for commoners to wield a kunai, much less a katana."

The Emperor sighed, before urging him to continue.

"My men and I tried our best to preserve as many lives as possible, however the samurai were fierce opponents, and it was mostly a fight to the death."

Pausing, he felt a pang of remorse. The samurai had not needed to die. They were all exemplary servants to the Emperor, and quietly he agreed with their protest.

Allowing every man to carry a weapon was only encouraging more brawls, probably with many innocent dying. He and all his comrades had worked long and hard to train with their weapons, and had to pass many strenuous tests before being accepted into the Imperial Army.  
The samurai also had their own system of grading, and although the army and the samurai operated differently, they were all united under the same social class and their honour to serve the Imperial family. Many of the army and samurai intermixed, encouraging a diverse fighting style, which usually was unstoppable.

"All the remaining samurai are under control of my men, and are awaiting your commands." Shikamaru knew exactly what commands they were going to receive. As part of the_ bushido_, the rules that all samurai lived by, any form of treason to the Imperial family was punished with _seppuku. _He grimaced at the thought of all the noble men who would commit suicide today, and for what cause? They had done nothing wrong, in his opinion, but had simply defended a privilege, which they had all rightfully earned.

The Emperor nodded briefly, and Shikamaru felt a brief stab of anger towards the man. With his sheltered environment and many luxuries, he did not know the pain of losing friends to what sometimes felt like a pointless never-ending battle, just to help one man gain more power. He did not know what it was like out in the battlefields, the stench of blood and death everywhere, overwhelming your senses as you ended yet another life, as carelessly as if cutting down a tree or plant.

"Shikamaru."

Looking up, he saw that the older man had gotten to his feet, and was looking down at him calmly.  
"Shikamaru, I know that a friend of yours was one of the many samurai killed today."

Setting his teeth on edge, Shikamaru nodded.

Shino Aburame was a very quiet man, who came from a small but proud clan. He had always been very calm and collected, which suited his profession of samurai perfectly. Only last week, he and Shikamaru had met and talked about the current political situation.

"The Emperor Yamanaka is stirring up trouble within the samurai ranks." He said quietly, head bowed over his steaming cup of tea. "With the dissolution of the Shogun's power, many of the samurai were already bitter at the Imperial family. Now, after years of loyal service, he is considering giving away our honour to the commoners? No," he said solemnly, "I think that Emperor Yamanaka will be making a colossal mistake if he insults us one more time. This time I do not think that many samurai will stay by his side. Perhaps we will follow suit to our previous masters, and be dissolved. But most likely I think that we will have to fight back, and this event may trigger many battles around the country."

'How ironic, that Shino had predicted his own demise.' Shikamaru thought bitterly.

"I must offer my most humble condolences to you. Despite what the samurai think, I did not want to lessen their prestige at all. I know that the samurai and his sword are incredibly closely linked. But now we are in the Meiji era, and this is the time of change. We have a new capital city, a new form of government, and I am currently trying to bring the social classes closer together. I know," he said, holding up hand to stop Shikamaru interrupting, "that this will cause many disputes. Believe me, I already am suffering from many of my advisors arguments."

'So that's why he looks so tired.' Shikamaru thought, not without a small twinge of satisfaction.

"I know what I am trying to achieve is seemingly radical, but I believe that we should be a united population, and together we can raise Japan's flag ever higher. Do you understand know, why I am introducing these new laws? It is not because I am a doddering fool with no idea of the consequences of my actions, but because I am following my vision of a united Japan. Tell me Shikamaru, it that really such a terrible idea?"

Shikamaru dropped his head. He realized that he had been too quick in judging his Emperor.  
"No your majesty, it is not. I…I am sorry for the situation you are in, but I must tell you," he rushed his speech, wondering if he was about to make a grave mistake.

"Many of the men feel that by letting all classes wield weapons, you are letting the army and samurai class's respect slide, which could possibly end in commoners becoming more brazen and them spoiling for a fight with us."

"I did not say that by all commoners carry a weapon, they would be the same as the samurai class. I am not stupid Shikamaru; I know that any change will have to be gradual. The samurai class will still be held higher on the social scale."

"I understand sir." Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he was worried that the Emperor would take his statement the wrong way. Luckily for him, the man seemed wiser than first appearances would suggest. Standing up, he grimaced as his injuries stabbed at him again. Swaying slightly on his feet, he suffered a brief moment of dizziness.

"Shikamaru? Are you alright?" Emperor Yamanaka asked concernedly.

"I'm fine your majesty." Standing up straight, he bowed his head respectfully to the older man. "If I may be so forward your majesty, may I please be excused? I must attend to my men and other important matters."  
'Like this damn knee.' He added silently.

"Certainly Major. You have done a marvelous job at organizing this battle, and I grant you my congratulations for your victory. Please pass on my message to your men."

"Of course your highness." Bowing low, he turned and exited back into the maze of lavish hallways, which formed the Emperor's quarters. He met up with his men at the next junction, and wordlessly they fell behind him and continued their journey.

"So, what was that all about?"

Shikamaru turned to his blonde companion, while rolling up his bloodstained pants.  
"Nothing much, just talking with Emperor Yamanaka about the current situation and the recent battle."

Examining the cut in his leg with a critical eye, he was glad to find it was not too deep. He quickly started cleaning it out and bandaging it up.

His friend cocked his head to the side, before looking at him with a cynical expression. "You? Willingly talking about politics with the man who caused all this trouble for us?"

Shikamaru finished fixing up his injury, before answering the question.  
"The Emperor is not a stupid man Naruto. He knows what he is doing, despite what it looks like."

Naruto scoffed, before returning to cleaning his armour.

Shikamaru shook his head at his comrade's reaction, not wanting to push the matter any further tonight. He was dead tired, and was ready to fall asleep in a dry bed, a welcome change to the damp mat he had been sleeping on for the last few nights.

Uzumaki Naruto was another Lieutenant Colonel, but he had reached his position for a different reason than Shikamaru. While Shikamaru was a widely acclaimed tactician and strategist, Naruto was a fearsome fighter, his pure power and strength becoming his form of military brilliance. While he and Shikamaru had very different personalities and work ethics, they both retained a strong sense of duty and grit.

Although Naruto was often irresponsible, he was a great leader in battles, and never failed to lead his men to victory. His raw power was rivaled by his extroversion, constantly telling jokes and pulling pranks. At first Shikamaru disliked his flippant attitude, but soon realized that his happy disposition did not affect his performance on the battlefield. He still remembered the first time they fought together, as lowly soldiers. While Shikamaru was brooding and planning in his head, Naruto had been entertaining everyone.

_"…Then the next thing you know, the guy was upside down hanging from a tree!"_

_He proclaimed, rewarded with raucous laughter and cheering. The young blonde soldier was standing in the middle of a bedraggled bunch of young men, all riveted to his presence. Standing by himself, a solitary soldier was scowling, growing more and more irritated at each story the other soldier told. Finally his patience wore out, and he rose from his habitual slouch, hands clenched by his sides.  
__"Would you mind shutting up for ONE moment? I am TRYING to think of a way for all of us not to be killed, while all you do is stand there and tell idiotic jokes!"_

_The blonde boy looked affronted.  
__"Hey, what is your problem? In case you haven't noticed, we are all sitting under one measly tree in the middle of the rain, waiting for those bastards," he motioned to the large gang sitting a little way off, "to fall asleep or something, so we can miraculously escape. I think that a little comic relief won't do anyone any harm."_

_Eye twitching, the soldier skulked away and sat down as far away as possible from the group of 16 year olds. For seemingly ages he sat there, formulating a new plan, while the blonde continued his charade of stories. Suddenly he felt someone beside him, and he looked up warily. Seeing the figure of the blonde towering over him, he scowled and resolutely turning his back on him, hoping he would get the message. Unfortunately for him, his comrade seemingly was dense, and squatted down beside him._

_"Okay, what's the matter?"_

_Shikamaru looked at him incredulously. Was he seriously asking him that question? As if the problem here wasn't blatantly obvious._

_"Look, I know that this isn't exactly the best situation we've been in, but you need to relax a bit. Worrying about it won't make it go away. Why don't you join us and have something to eat? Perhaps that," he said with a silly grin, "will help you come up with a brand new plan which will save us all."_

_At first Shikamaru was inclined to tell him to get lost, but then he reconsidered. He **was** hungry, and he still wasn't getting anywhere with his ideas._

_"Fine." He grunted, dropping down beside the other boys and grabbing his bento box from his pack. Smiling triumphantly, the blonde joined him and started telling him about himself as he ate. Shikamaru didn't pay attention at first, but soon found that he was interested in the boy's history. Growing up in an orphanage, before running away to join the army. It sounded like something from a book. Before long, the two boys were exchanging stories, finding an unlikely friendship._

Studying his companion's profile, he gave a small smile. Even though they had started out badly, he had grown to respect the man sitting beside him. Not only had he reached the same position as him, but he had proven himself a thousand times over to be a loyal friend and comrade.

"Oi, Naruto."

Naruto looked at him with a puzzled gaze. "What?"

Shikamaru stretched and grinned at the sky. "Nothing really, just remembering the first time we worked together."

Naruto let out a short laugh, before leaning against his pile of dirty armour. "Yeah, that was fun. Can't believe those idiots just fell asleep. What a bunch of losers." Grinning at Shikamaru cockily, he added, "Didn't exactly need your 'brilliant' escape plan after all, eh? All that talk about not being able to focus," he snorted. "I wouldn't call it the most daring escape of all time, that's for sure."

Shikamaru simply chuckled, before returning to his other injuries. "Well, it was about time someone told you to shut up, anyway."

Naruto shrugged. "Ah, whatever. You're just a lazy old scrooge, that's all." He said teasingly, before getting up.

"I've gotta talk to one of my guys. Complete waste of my breath, but he tries so hard to prove himself to me that I can't help but forgive his weaknesses." Winking at Shikamaru, he walked away, calling for Konohamaru.

Shikamaru scoffed. The man was hopeless, he concluded. Halfway during the battle, Konohamaru had run up to Naruto with a message, claiming that it was of utmost importance. In the end, it was really only some simple thing, something like all the polish had run out.  
'Thank God I don't have him as one of my soldiers.' Shikamaru thought gratefully, 'I don't think I would be as forgiving as Naruto.'

Packing up his first aid kit, he walked to his tent. Along the way, many of the men called out to him, praising for his work during the battle. Nodding to each of them, he reached his tent, and was just about to go inside when a messenger ran up to him breathlessly.

"Excuse me Lieutenant Colonel Nara, but the Ground Chief of Staff seeks your presence."

Shikamaru unconsciously frowned. Would he ever be allowed to sleep tonight? He unwillingly followed the man towards a large tent with the four stars of the Ground Chief of Staff. Entering the tent, he was surprised to see not only the Ground Chief of Staff but both of the Lieutenant Generals sitting there as well. Bowing respectfully, he placed himself near the door, facing them.

"Welcome Major Nara. I trust that you are well?"

"Yes Ground Chief Sarutobi."

"We have called you here to discuss your role in the most recent battle in Kumamoto." Lieutenant General Kakashi stated calmly.

Shikamaru looked at the silver haired Lieutenant General, trying to imagine what was underneath his mask. Perhaps an old war scar?

"We have been considering a promotion for you to the rank of Major General."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in disbelief. Another promotion?  
Only three months ago he had been promoted from Colonel to Lieutenant Colonel. Another promotion so soon was practically unheard of. Not to mention that he would be completely bypassing the rank of Major, skipping straight up to the third highest ranking in the entire Imperial Army! This was unheard of!

"I'm not sure I understand sirs. What brought about this promotion?"

Lieutenant General Jiraiya spoke up.  
"After considering your recent victory against Saigo Takamori's samurai, we feel that you are ready for the job. Your strategic genius is well known Nara-san. While you are already doing an amazing job as a Major, we feel that your area of expertise is sorely needed. While there are many great fighters, we do not have many great thinkers in the Imperial Army. In this time of war, your knowledge is greatly sought after." He paused briefly, making eye contact with the other men in the tent before continuing.

"As you are well aware, Emperor Yamanaka is trying to bring the social classes closer together. You will also be aware that this is sure to erupt into many battles between upper and lower classes. Should you choose to accept your new position, you will be in charge of most of the battle strategies for the entire army."

Shikamaru tried his best not to show his shock on his face. They wanted to give him the responsibility of the entire army?!

For once, he was unsure of whether he really wanted this position of responsibility. He knew that there was going to be many battles in the near future, and to be told that he and he alone would decided the outcome of most of them was truly a daunting idea. He was suddenly swept with a wave of self-doubt, and was on the verge of declining the offer when he rethought his decision.

Sure, he was good at leading his men, but wouldn't it be better for him to use his talents where they were needed the most? If what his superiors were saying was true, he was the only person who had the capabilities to strategize and lead an entire army into the imminent war.

But still, what would happen if he failed their expectations? Thousands of men's lives would be the cost he would have to pay. He would hold more power than both the Lieutenant Generals and quite possibly the Ground Chief of Staff, even though he would only be a Major General.

'Great', he though to himself grouchily, 'there goes my spare time. Forget about ever glancing at a cloud ever again.'

"I'm sorry sirs, but I don't quite know what you want me to do exactly. Even if I accepted your generous offer of a promotion to Major General, I won't have the authority to order the whole army around. That is…" he trailed off at the look on the older men's faces. He frowned, beginning to suspect something unpleasant.  
"What's going on here? Shouldn't your head strategist be doing all of this, Sarutobi-sama?"

The grizzled man lit up his pipe, taking a long draw on it while considering how to answer Shikamaru's question.  
"Major Nara, there is no easy way to say this. At the moment, there isn't a head strategist for the Imperial Army. He was assassinated only two days ago. This is partly why we have called you here tonight. In the light of the forthcoming dangers, we think that it is absolutely essential that we do not rely on our brainpower alone, eminent as it is."

He said with a sardonic smile.

"We need you Nara-san, to lead the Imperial Army into the forthcoming war. Jiraiya is correct. We desperately need your brainpower. Saigo Takamori is a great leader, and he was in fact the very man who set up the Imperial Japanese Army. Ironic, don't you think?"

Shikamaru was surprised by this new piece of information. Although he knew that the protesting samurai's leader had been a highly ranked government official, and had led the army in the Boshin war, he had not known that the man had in fact founded the army.  
'I wonder what caused him to turn against the Emperor, after such exemplary service.' Shikamaru pondered.

Hatake Kakashi continued.  
"Although you will only hold the position of a Major General, you will wield more power than all of your fellow colleagues. Should you choose to accept our proposition, it is important that you do not tell anyone about your additional responsibilities. During this time of unrest, it is vital that the Army remains seemingly undefeatable. If word gets out about you surreptitiously running all the battle plans, many would see it as corruption of power, and could threaten the stability of our military ranks."

Shikamaru nodded blindly. He knew that he couldn't refuse the promotion now, not with the whole situation laid out. If he did not take up the job, then it would take valuable time for them to seek out another person to do it. It was time that they could not afford to waste.

As much as he disliked his situation, he saw that, consciously or unconsciously, they had backed him into a corner created by his logical mind and sense of duty. There was no way he could refuse the position. Squaring his shoulders, he looked up at them resolutely.

"Very well. I see that there is no other way about it. I accept your offer."

--

**A/N: Well, how was that for a first chapter? Not bad? Before you guys ask, yes, I did research all about the Meiji era, the Imperial Japanese Army, the Japanese military ranks, and the samurai riots (more detail on them later). All the historical references should be true. Also, if Shikamaru seems a little OOC, then don't worry about it. I'm trying to show the different facets of his personality (well, that I can see anyway), that even though he's a lazy bum, he can still get things done if he has to. Plus this is an AU, so maybe I twiddled his characteristics a bit to fit in. But fear not! In the next few chapters you will get your dosage of typical Shikamaru Nara :D**

**Until then,**

**Tan-chan**


	2. Dinner Date

**A/N: This chapter has the first interaction between our favourite general and princess! But…I'm sorry to say it's not really fluffy or romantic. At all. That comes later! Hehe…**

**Disclaimer: Same old, same old.**

--

Ino Yamanaka sat in front of her dressing table, carefully watching her maid Sakura Haruno twist her long blonde hair into a style that was fashionable with the high-class ladies. As her maid secured it with an eye-catching silver and golf-leafed needle, Ino frowned.

She did not particularly want to attend this event tonight, as she was feeling slightly off colour and was in a sour mood.  
"Haruno-san, what exactly is this dinner in celebration for?"

The pink haired servant simply smiled at her mistress's question. She knew that the princess lacked an interest in many of the palace's events, preferring to simply immerse herself with her own interests, such as learning about the exotic flowers she made her father import for her. Her father always spoiled his only daughter, giving her expensive presents and catering to her every whim.  
"It is to celebrate one of the soldier's new promotion. I believe he has been become at Major General."

"Pfft. And why should that matter to me?" The princess said haughtily, sticking her nose into the air.

"Now now, your majesty, you know that as princess you must attend all ceremonies unless your presence is specifically not requested."

"And why on earth would my presence not be sought after?" Ino huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

Sakura silently laughed. Princess Yamanaka was such a character. One moment she wanted to get out of her commitments, the next she was refusing to miss them. It endeared her to the maid. Slipping around the chair, she started to apply the princess's makeup.  
"Just think about the new plant you ordered, which is arriving tomorrow. That should get you through the night, highness."

Ino slowly relaxed, before patiently letting Sakura finish her job.  
"Very well, Haruno-san. But first, please fetch me my fan. I think that I am unwell, and am feeling very warm."

Hurrying away, the maid hoped that her mistress would not fall ill. That would mean sleepless nights of work, as she worked relentlessly to get the princess back on her feet. It was essential that the princess be healthy, as she was the lone heir to the throne. Someday, the maid knew, she would make a grand Empress. At the moment, however, she was still only a fresh eighteen year old, still inexperienced in the ways of life.

Ino made her way towards the noise and light, holding onto her father's arm. She squirmed uncomfortably in the heavy kimono she was required to wear. Although it was a beautiful garment, it made the cool night air uncomfortably stuffy, and already her feet were hurting in the hard wooden _geta _shoes she was wearing.

As soon as they entered the grand hall, everyone bowed down. They took their sets at the head of the table, and Ino looked about to see if she knew anyone at the table. Failing to spot anyone, she pursed her lips in annoyance. The night was certainly looking like a long uneventful one.

Looking towards her father, she found him deep in conversation with a young soldier dressed in gleaming armour. She assumed that this man was the one receiving the promotion. He had tanned skin, and wild-looking dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. A seemingly permanent frown was etched into his forehead, and she wondered whether he was always in a foul mood. She was however, surprised to see that such a young soldier had already been promoted to Major General. He barely looked a day older than 25 years old.  
'He must be a terrific fighter.' She concluded, before being distracted by the arriving food.

After the dessert had all been consumed, her father stood up, and the conversation died down. When all was quiet, he started talking.

"Thank you all for coming to this celebration of achievement. It is my great pleasure to announce that of today, Nara Shikamaru of the Imperial Japanese Army is now a Major General. After much discussion, I and my subordinates," he said, nodding towards the three men sitting further down the table, rewarded with respectful bows, "have deemed that Shikamaru-san is worthy of this great honour. We came to this conclusion because of his many attributes."

Ino's gaze flickered across to the said general, who to her surprise looked rather bored and awkward. 'Interesting.' She thought to herself, before returning her attention to her father.

"…has not reached this position of honour not by strength alone, but because of his amazing skill in strategy. He is one of the most brilliant minds in the army. A specialist in tactics, he has led the men under his command to many glorious victories, none more so than his most recent one at Kumamoto. He led the army to an amazing victory over the 30 000 samurai who were rioting, under the command of Saigo Takamori."

Ino joined in the clapping belatedly. 30 000 men?! She could not even comprehend that many men dying during just one battle. It was completely horrifying.

"He is also one of the youngest men ever to reach this position in the Imperial Japanese Army, for he is only 23 years old."

'Younger than I thought.' Ino bemusedly thought, her gaze flickering to him yet again.

The General was slouching in his chair, bowing his head respectfully at the praise heaped upon him. Yet his posture gave away a sense of boredom that was unmistakable. Ino frowned with disapproval at the Major General's behavior. Surely he should at least try to act more politely at his own celebratory dinner.

Suddenly the man looked up to meet her gaze. Dropping her gaze quickly, Ino busied herself with rearranging her kimono, while flushing with embarrassment at being caught staring. When she no longer felt his eyes on her, she dared to look up again.

He had turned his head away, so most of it was hidden in the shadows. Stifling a yawn, she pretended to listen to her father's speech, while absentmindedly toying with a loose strand of hair, before being interrupted by a meaningful cough.

Snapping to attention, she realized that the speech was over, and the man beside her had started up a conversation with her. Quickly letting go of her hair, she scolded herself for slipping up.

"I'm very sorry sir. I'm afraid I am not feeling very well tonight."

Standing up slowly, she made her way out through the open doorways back into the relative darkness of the hallway. As soon as she was out of sight, she let out a pent up breath, fluffing up her fringe in the process. Smoothing it down distractedly, she hurried through the hallways, ducking through one of the servants' exits into the cooler night air.

Sighing with happiness, she took off her _geta_ shoes. Although she would never admit it, she often wished that she didn't always have to appear wonderfully composed. She envied the commoners, their ability to laugh when they were amused, to yell when they were angry, to cry when they were sad.

The trouble was, she had no one to confide in, to tell all her secrets to, and because of this Ino had become secluded, tucking herself away in her private gardens where she could unwind.

Rolling her shoulders, she made her way through the beautiful Japanese maples, to the pond with the stone bench beside it. As she sat down she pulled out her silk fan, fanning herself vigorously to cool down. She lost track of time as she sat there, watching the water run down the rock fountain, only to be interrupted by a disturbance in the vegetation near her.

Jolting upright, she pulled out the needle in her hair, took on what she hoped to be an aggressive stance, and prepared herself for the worst. The noise coming from the bushes was peculiar, like something was trying to crawl through the pebbles.  
She furrowed her brow, trying to imagine what animal could make that noise. The next thing she knew, a large dark shape erupted into the glade, frightening her into an almighty scream, and before she even knew what she was doing, she had leapt forward and stabbed the needle into the thing.

Shikamaru was either going to die from overheating or boredom, and he didn't know which one he preferred. His newly cleaned armour was literally a furnace, and he was trapped in a room full of old fogies and politicians, plus one very unhappy looking princess.

As the emperor prattled on, extolling Shikamaru's apparently never-ending list of virtues, he quickly started to drift off. It was a gift of his, his ability to fall asleep whenever and wherever he pleased. Just as he was floating off into dreamland, he sensed he was being watched. Looking up blearily, he was confronted by a pair of stunningly blue eyes. Sufficiently unnerved, he saw the princess look away quickly. Lifting a corner of his mouth in humor, he ran his eyes over her, from her ash blonde hair to her overly decorated kimono.

Loosing interest, he faced the shadows again, trying to ignore the fact he was being cooked alive. For another three minutes the Emperor continued, before sitting down again. Shikamaru decided he should probably return to the conversation, turning his face back towards the table. Upon finding his company was not sought after at the moment, he glanced over to the grumpy princess. To his amusement, she was twirling her hair in a most unsophisticated way, while blankly staring at the table. Just as he was going to return to the shadows, the emperor struck up another conversation with him, to his slight annoyance. As he made pointless small talk, he saw her rise and quietly slip away.  
'Lucky.'  
He thought enviously, while continuing to appease the Emperor with constant nods and mutters. This continued for a while, until the tea was served. Noticing the princess's spot was still empty; he briefly wondered whether she was intending to return to the table.  
After contemplating his tea, he decided against it for the fact that he didn't need any extra warming up, and excused himself before anyone could stop him. Exiting through the same door as the princess, he hoped that she had aimed her wandering for the outside, so that he could follow her example.

Scowling and tugging on his collar, he found himself in a junction, with no sense of which hall to take. Spotting a servant slip through a small partially concealed door, he called out, intending to ask for directions. To his surprise, the doorway actually led onto a narrow veranda, eliminating his need of the servant. Stepping into the night air, he skirted a statue and sat down behind it.

Leaning back, he looked at the stars, and the faintest trace of clouds that covered them. He sat there for a while, letting his thoughts drift, when he heard two familiar voices. Cursing his armour for its awkwardness, he got to his knees, and looked around for a conveniently placed hiding spot. Needless to say, he didnot want to be caught skipping his own dinner by the Lieutenant Generals.  
Spotting his escape route, he lightly jogged over to a thick grove of maples, pushing through the branches, before tripping on a root and crashing to the ground in a noisy pile of metal.

'Mendokuse…' he whined, stopping his movements and waiting for his imminent discovery. Failing to hear any voices however, he thanked his good luck, and started to wriggle backwards.

"Dammit, what now?" he muttered, finding his path blocked. After kicking feebly at the surrounding branches and bushes, he gave up and scraped his way forward, aiming for the sound of running water. Finding the branches thinning around him, Shikamaru gave himself one last push, before tumbling out into a small clearing.  
Before he had a chance to blink however, a piercing scream ripped through the air, and next thing he knew, a pair of feet landed in front of him, accompanied by a _clang!_ as someone tried to stab something into the back of his armour.

Instincts taking over, he twisted and reached out, roughly gripping his attacker's arm, before pulling them down and securing both their hands behind their back, roughly pinning them against his chest. Although it wasn't his best defensive attack, it was the best he could do due to the fact he was still half-lying in the bushes. He ripped his legs from the damned bushes, jumped up and pulled out a kunai, pressing the flat of it against their throat.

"Who the hell are _you?_" he commanded. When he received a frightened squeak in response, he pushed his kunai more firmly into their flesh. "Answer me!"

"Please…" he stopped, hearing the tear-choked voice. With a sinking feeling, he stepped back into the moonlight, pulling his prisoner with him. When the pale light illuminated who it was, his eyes widened in shock.Dropping his kunai, he immediately released…her.

"Princess Ino." He whispered in a horrified voice. 'Oh crap.' He thought, 'I'm in trouble now.'

--

**A/N: Well well well, seems like I've actually finished another chapter. Amazing, no? I'm determined to finish this fanfic, no matter what. No matter how long, no matter how hard. I CANNOT let this one die. I've spend waaay too much time on it for that! ****Don't forget that a few reviews here and there can really release that writers block, should it occur gasphorror. **

**Till next time,**

**Tan-chan**


	3. Stranger

**A/N: Oh how I love this story. The glory of AU is seeping into my brain! throws out flowers **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But I do own this fanfic!**

--

Ino was past being scared.

She was way past being terrified.

She was completely, totally, paralyzed with fear. She had lost all control of her limbs, her voice, and if someone had asked her what her name was, she wouldn't even be able to stir up any vague memory for the answer.  
After she had lunged at the thing, she discovered that her weapon had basically done nothing, simply bouncing off something metallic.

Just as she had opened her mouth to scream again, she had been grabbed, twisted, pulled and ended up crushed chest-to-chest with something hard and cold. Make that some_one_ hard and cold. She was guessing they were wearing some kind of armor, since her needle had been deflected. Wait…armor?

Before her thoughts could cognate, she was pulled up, up, higher and higher until she was just balancing on her tip-toes, and then up again, so her feet were grazing the ground, and she could feel a cold blade being placed against her neck.

"Now who the hell are _you_?" growled a deep male voice.

When she only managed to squeak in response, he pressed the flat steel blade ever deeper into her vulnerable neck. All remaining calmness fled, and Ino felt herself panic, tried to fight back but found she could not. Her vision blurred, frightened tears streaming down her face, face contorted in fright.

"Answer me!"

"Please…!" she begged, barely managing to form the single word in her panic.

Fearing for her life, fearing this dark assailant, fearing what was waiting for her after death.

As if confirming her fears of being dead, a bright beam of moonlight stabbed down, illuminating everything with it's watery light. Ino managed to get a glimpse of her attacker's face. A pair of narrow eyes stared down at her for a second, before she was released a second later, miraculously staying on her feet, albeit unsteadily.

"Princess Ino." She heard him whisper in horror, and by the moonlight she could make out the familiar spiked ponytail, the furrowed brows, the armor she had almost recognized before.

"General…Nara?" she choked out, feeling a wave of relief crash down her. Ino lifted her hand to wipe away her tears, but suddenly felt her vision black out and fell down in a dead faint.

Shikamaru caught her before she hit the ground, and set her down gently. He collapsed onto the stone bench, and rubbed his temples tiredly.

'What a fine mess I've gotten myself into.' He groaned inwardly, glancing over at the unconscious princess. Despite himself, he couldn't help but notice the way her loose hair spilled around her, the moonlight turning it into a platinum halo, casting shadows across her face, and her rumpled kimono gaping at the front, allowing him a glimpse of the pale skin which rose and fell in a steady pattern.

Groaning, he snapped his head away. Curse this damned princess for causing him thoughts like that, and curse the army for forcing him to wine and dine with the stiff upper class and pretend like he was interested in their politics!

Scratching his head, he realized that he couldn't simply leave the Princess of Japan out here on the ground, so he picked her up and was about to leave when he noticed her hair pin lying near the trees. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed it, and made his way back to the palace. It wasn't until he reached the sliding doors of the veranda that he paused and thought about how strange this would look.  
'Better think of something, quick.'  
Shifting his load, he hoped that the Princess wouldn't wake up while in his arms. **That** could be awkward. Coming up with a sufficient story, he slid the door open with his foot and maneuvered himself through the gap.

"Now what?" he muttered quietly, flicking his eyes around the corridor for anyone.  
'I can't stroll back into the dining hall…but I can't go traipsing around the palace looking for her quarters either.'

"Mendokuse…" he groaned, slumping his shoulders in frustration. "This is so troublesome!"

"Ano…excuse me, do you need any assistance?"

Shikamaru spun around, nearly dropping his precious cargo in alarm. Upon seeing a pink-haired maid behind him, he managed to calm down a little.  
"Er…well, actually I do."

"Oh my God!"  
The maid's eyes widened, as she realized what was in his arms.  
"What, why-what are you doing with the princess?!" she cried, her voice turning aggressive.

Shikamaru grimaced, preparing for the worse.  
"Well, the thing is…I sort of found her out there…like this." Not entirely true, but a little white lie never hurt anyone.

The pink-haired woman was too busy fussing over unconscious princess to listen however. "She's running a terrible fever." She muttered worriedly, checking for any bruises or scratches.

"Really?" Shikamaru responded uninterestedly. "That's unfortunate. But if you could be so kind as to assist me…?"

"Of course! Gomenasai, please, follow me." She rushed off, and not for the first time, Shikamaru groaned in annoyance. 'This is such a drag, how did my night end up like this?'

"She should be fine now." Informed the maid, emerging from the room.

Shikamaru jolted upright from his sprawl, wiping away any signs of drowsiness. "Um…great. If it's not too much hassle, could you possibly bring me back to the, uh, dining room?"

He was now not only hopelessly tangled in a complicated story of high fevers and bushes, but had been missing for nearly an hour. 'Not looking good.' He mused dully. As they appeared at a familiar set of doors, he exhaled resignedly, submitting to his fate.

"Nara-san, where have you been?" a jovial voice called out as he entered the hall.

To his relief, he found that most of the table was reasonably drunk, and it wasn't too difficult to crash down onto his cushion without answering any questions. He had forgotten about the emperor though.

"May I ask where you have been, Shikamaru-san?"

Immediately stiffening, he looked up into the completely sober face of Emperor Yamanaka. 'Dammit…'  
"It's a long story, your majesty."

"We have all night."

Ino woke up with a shocking headache, sore throat and unbearable fever. Coughing weakly, she called for her maid, and was glad when Haruno-san appeared.  
"I feel awful."

She was quickly given a cup of barley tea, and a cold towel was placed on her forehead. As she sipped her tea, the events of the previous night swept over her. She thanked the Gods that she was back in her bed again, after her traumatic ordeal.

'Actually…how-?' A thought suddenly occurred to her.  
"Haruno-san! What…how did I get here?" she demanded, suddenly frightened. She was surprised to see a gentle smile cross over her servants face in reply.

"Don't worry, princess. Major General Nara found you in the gardens, and brought you to me. Just rest now, you needn't worry. I'll have you healthy again in no time."

Ino didn't respond, but was thinking furiously. 'Found me in the gardens? What nonsense! No doubt he's off bragging about his good deeds to everyone, saving the Princess, hah! What a liar he is!' She mulled over her thoughts angrily, until she fell asleep again.

Next time she woke, she was feeling marginally better, but was in a rotten mood. Oh, if she ran into that no good soldier again, to hell with all pretences of elegance.  
'I'll punch his face in!' she fumed. 'Of all the nerve…bursting out of the bushes, attacking me, then having the gall to tell an outright lie!'

"Darling?"

Turning her head, she saw her father standing worriedly in her doorway.

"Good morning Daddy."

"Well, it's actually nearly twelve, so really it should be 'good afternoon'." He smiled, walking over to her bedside and taking her hand. "How do you feel?"

Ino grimaced, answering him without words.

"That bad?" She nodded dejectedly. "My poor flower, lying in bed, riddled with pain! What should I do?"

Ino silently giggled, amused by her father's antics. He was always like this when she fell ill, and it never failed to raise her spirits.

"So, mind telling me what happened last night? General Nara has already filled me in on his part, but I still want to know how you came to be lying in the gardens unconscious!"

Ino felt an angry bubble rise up in her, and was just about to set her father straight when he turned around and gestured for someone to join him. To her exasperation, it was none other than the soldier from last night, slouching into her room and appearing very uncomfortable.

"Come here Nara-san, I'm sure you are curious about my daughter's explanation as well."

Ino allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction when she saw how the man's gaze jumped to her in panic. 'Let's see how well you cope with the stress, soldier.'  
She narrowed her eyes at him, before turning back to her father with a strained smile.

"Well, I'm afraid it will not be a very exciting response. I hadn't been feeling well all evening, and after stepping out for a breath of fresh air, I obviously fainted due to my illness. It is of course, very fortunate that General Nara discovered me when he did." She added slyly, enjoying the discomfort of said soldier.  
"I'm afraid I haven't expressed my _gratitude _properly yet." Ino was sure that he picked up on her silent threat, from the way that he glanced nervously at her father. Luckily the emperor didn't notice her tone of voice, and shortly afterwards he made to leave, indicating for Nara to follow him. To everyone's surprise, Ino stopped him, asking if "General Nara could stay behind for a moment, so I may thank him in private."

Nodding hesitantly, her father exited, leaving just her and the soldier in her room.

"Well, I hope you're happy." She stated icily, glaring daggers at him.

"What?"

"I said, I hope you are happy with what you've done."

When he continued looking at her with a puzzled expression, she exhaled angrily and thanked the Gods that she had a terrifically sore throat, otherwise she would have surely started shouting already.

"You just forced me to lie straight to my father's face! Do you know what kind of trouble I would get into if he caught me?!"

"No one asked you to lie."

His answer shocked her, and she was unable to come up with a reply. What he said was the truth; she hadn't needed to lie to her father, she could have just told him the truth, got the young man fired, and that would be the end of it all.  
'But, that would take all the fun out of it.' She reminded herself, trying to compose her scrambled thoughts. Of course she hadn't told her father the truth! Then she wouldn't get the pleasure of punishing the general herself!  
Nodding, she prepared herself for another argument when she found herself looking straight into the soldier's eyes. She grimaced, feeling her throat constrict slightly. 'Ow…'  
"But I did, and therefore I expect that my kindness should be repaid."

Seeing his eyebrow quirk upwards, she smirked.  
"Therefore, you now have the job of watering all my plants until I'm well enough to do the job myself."

The man's brow furrowed in disbelief.  
"Excuse my your majesty, but I don't think you realize how difficult that would be for me to do. You see, I simply wouldn't have time to water your," he choked on the last word with incredulity, "plants."

"Make time then."

"Can't you get your servants to-"

"I'm sorry General Nara, I thought I just heard you say no to the _princess. _Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."  
Smiling with fake sweetness, she celebrated her victory silently, chuckling at the general's expression. Oh yes, she definitely would have fun punishing him.

Shikamaru could not believe this.

It was beyond him how the last few days' events had come about. Out of the blue, he had received a huge promotion, wrestled with the princess, and was now standing with a watering can at 12:30 in the morning, trying to 'make time', as she had so eloquently put it.  
"Mendokuse…this is the most bothersome thing I've ever had to do!"

For the last five days, he had been getting about 3 hours of sleep, watering her goddamed plants until 1 o'clock every morning, crashing into bed and waking up again at 4 o'clock to supervise the morning training, and start another tedious day of strategising, having heated discussions with his superiors, and waiting desperately for the princess to recover. No doubt she was planning on dragging out her torture for as long as she could, but as soon as he heard she was up and walking, he was never going near the palace gardens again.

It was fair to say that Shikamaru wasn't harbouring many pleasant feelings towards the Imperial family at the moment. Not only was the emperor holding all the troops in the palace grounds because of a recent tip-off that the samurai were going to attack the palace soon, but his daughter was driving him crazy with her long list of chores for him to complete.

Only yesterday he had been summoned with a message that the princess wanted to see him. The result was another list of duties for him to complete by the end of the day, ranging from ordering her a new _yukata_, picking up her earrings from jewelers, to making sure she got sukiyaki udon for dinner. He swore, if she summoned him again, he was going to tell the messenger exactly what they could do with her letter, and if she didn't like it, well tell her damned father the truth, see if he cared. Grumbling, he continued to pour water over the colourful flowers. He couldn't wait to be out of the palace grounds.

--

**A/N: I had to stop this chapter before I wrote 20 000 pages! I'm getting so addicted to writing this, it's sad. I'm putting aside my revision and assignments to spend hours writing this every night. It's tragic! XD**

**Now that you've heard my sob story, don't forget to review! **

**Tan-chan**


	4. Caught

**A/N: Japanese, maths and chemistry exams all in the next few days, and I'm here writing this instead of doing my revision. God I'm a loser. Sorry if this chapter is painfully short compared to my other ones :(**

**Disclaimer: Cool.**

--

Ino's plan was coming along nicely.

She was running General Nara off his feet with petty errands, while she lay in bed recovering. It was a very satisfying feeling, knowing that she could make him do anything she wanted without argument.  
'Much more fun than ordering servants around.' She thought happily, as she listened to her maids gossip quietly as they worked.

Her father had been supporting her schemes unconsciously, by keeping three divisions of the Imperial Army in the palace grounds for basically, bodyguard duties. This allowed Ino to cause trouble for the surly soldier, who unwillingly followed her every beck and call. It had certainly made the princess's days more interesting.

After nine days of relaxing, Ino grudgingly admitted that she was bored stiff, staying in her room all day long. So, she got up and bathed, before slipping on her new _yukata _that Nara-san had so kindly provided.  
'Speaking of which,' she thought as she tied her hair back in a simple ponytail, 'I'd better check that he's been taking care of my flowers properly.'

Ino quietly crept out of her room, not wanting to draw any attention from the servants. She preferred that the news of her recovery didn't spread around, lest her newest servant find out and refuse to do her bidding. Slipping on a pair of straw sandals, she quickly ducked into her private gardens, smiling blissfully as the scent of exotic flowers floated through the air. How she had missed the sensation! Strolling leisurely through the flora, she noted with pleasant surprise that all of the plants were still in good condition, if in need of a quick trim. Turning around to get a pair of shears, she nearly ran straight into General Nara.

"Ah! What are you doing here?!"

He looked at her blankly, before stating, "About to water your precious plants."

'Great…he caught me red-handed! That means I can't ask him to do chores for me anymore. Unless…'

"Well, off you go then, get started!" Ino responded cheerily, trying to pass him on the narrow pathway. To her annoyance, she found a large hand wrapped around her forearm, stopping any attempt to escape.

"Not so fast, princess. Seeing as you've returned to full health, I suggest you take care of your _own_ hobbies." He said, pushing the watering can towards her.

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, she replied coolly "You know, I could get you into so much trouble for laying your hands on me."

He shrugged one shoulder, but didn't loosen his grip on her. "Then go ahead. I hope you realize that really, I didn't attack you. It was," he said with a smirk, "purely self-defense. I trust you remember who stabbed who."

Ino's face flushed with anger, and she wrenched her arm away. "Oh yeah?" she hissed, "well I don't think that matters, since you jumped out of the bushes at me! _My_ actions were the self-defensive, not yours!"

"Mendokuse…whatever. Believe what you want, your majesty, but I am _not _going to do your bidding anymore. No matter what argument you use." And with that, he pushed the watering can into her arms, soaking her front in the process, and strode off, leaving Ino standing there, absolutely livid.

Shikamaru rolled his shoulders with relief, glad that he was far away from the glowering princess. He was all too aware what kinds of pain she could bring him, and despite his unhappiness with his current job, he didn't want his whole career come crashing down his ears.  
"Thank the Gods that _that's_ over."

"That what's over?"

Shikamaru grimaced as he heard the familiar voice practically shout in his ear.  
"Hey Naruto."  
He sighed, reaching a nice piece of grass and dropping down on it.  
"I thought you were supposed to be teaching your men the defensive plan?"

He saw a pair of feet stop beside him, before it was followed with a body.  
"Don't change the topic Shikamaru. What's up with you? Everyone's noticed your constant disappearances, and believe me, it's no fun when the guy you share a tent with wakes you up every morning at 1am."

Shikamaru focused on the clouds above, but there was no deterring Naruto when he got started on something. After a few minutes of one-sided conversation, Naruto paused to think.  
"Ano sa, you're not sneaking off with some maid are you? Because I'd be hurt if are and haven't introduced me to her friend yet."

Shikamaru choked, spluttering from the incredulity of the idea. Looking across, he saw Naruto's face creased into a large grin, and couldn't help but smirk in return. "Sure Naruto, if you honestly think that."

"Hey, who knows? You could get lucky someday. I'm sure all the ladies dig the fact that you're practically running the army."

Shikamaru's head twisted across so fast that he was surprised he didn't get a crick. "How did you know that?" he asked in a low voice.

"Hey, just because I'm blonde doesn't mean I'm dumb! I know about your special meetings with the uppers."

"Mendokuse…"

Naruto let out a bark of laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not telling anyone. But that's exactly why I'm so curious to know where you're vanishing to everyday. I would have thought you were way too busy."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, feeling his lack of sleep catching up with him.  
"I am way too busy, but I'm not exactly getting any say in it. But it doesn't matter; I'm off the hook now. So if you'll kindly shut up," he said jokingly, "I'd like to get some rest and relaxation in."

Naruto punched him on the arm and stood up.  
"Alright, alright. But don't forget your meeting with the Emperor at one o'clock, ne?"

Shikamaru responded with a particularly colourful word, and rolled over obstinately. Naruto chuckled, before bouncing away.

Shikamaru stretched languidly and relaxed into the soft grass.  
'Finally…a break from work.' He lost track of time as he dozed, enjoying the peace and quiet. Suddenly a shadow was cast over him, and he cracked open an eyelid to see who had come to visit him. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the royal servants, a pale man with a receding hairline. "Yes?"

"Excuse me, General Nara. The Emperor sent me to escort you to your meeting, as he is currently out of the office."

"Yes, of course." Stretching his back, he followed the servant sluggishly. He was led to a small courtyard with a wooden fountain, and some marble benches.

There he spotted Emperor Yamanaka, along with the usual entourage of handmaidens, bodyguards and servants laden with assorted delicacies. Shikamaru was motioned over to a bench opposite the Emperor, and after the bowing and formalities, the servants were dismissed with the exception of the three bodyguards. There was a lengthy pause, setting Shikamaru's teeth on edge. If there was anything he hated, it was long uncomfortable silences.

"So, tell me General. How are you these days? I hope that your workload is not too excessive?"

Shikamaru panicked, clenching his hands by his sides. Keeping his head bowed, he tried to mask the panic on his face.

'This is it,' he mentally screamed. 'The princess has told her father the truth, you idiot, why did you let your anger take advantage this morning? It's all over, say hello to prison and capital punishment, dumbass.'  
"Everything is fine, your majesty. My work is under control."  
'Not that that answers your question.' He added silently.

"Good, good. I began to think too many responsibilities had been placed on you, Nara-san."

"And why would that be?" Shikamaru answered with forced calmness.

"Well, there have been reports of your frequent disappearances, as well as concerns being voiced by your colleagues over your exhausted appearance."

"Oh no," he replied quickly, hoping against hope that the Emperor didn't know anything more. "I've been perfectly on top of things. Understandably, I have been more fatigued than usual, as is only expected. After all," he chuckled painfully, the sound feeling fake to his ears, "I have been working more than usual."

"Very well. If your sure…?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Good. Now, let's talk about these new plans you've drawn up…"

Shikamaru released a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. He silently thanked Kami-sama at his fortune. As he pretended to be engaged in conversation, he was really making determined resolutions.  
'Princess Ino must be avoided at all costs…otherwise I'll lost my temper and push my luck too far. Damn it all! This is so troublesome!'

--

**A/N: Ugh, this chapter was a real brain drain. So…sorry if it was unbelievably short, boring and badly written, but I was really trying to finish it before I gave up completely. Anyway…I'll next chapter will hopefully be more inspiring!**


	5. Escape

**A/N: Chapter fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! The first thing I've written after a terrible writers block (which is still lingering). Get right into it, kiddo!**

--

After a week of lolling about pointlessly, the troops were growing restless.

They had been camped out at the imperial palace for over a month already, and there was no sign of any attacks from the samurai. Once the initial rush of preparations and teaching of new battle plans and defensive procedures was over, the days had started to turn into long, tiring affairs which involved pointless drills and talks.  
It soon became clear that the supposed attempt on the castle was not going to happen anytime soon. Unhappy complaints were running amok, and the superiors were at a loss of how to stop them.

"The men want to return to their families." Naruto explained to Shikamaru, his mouth full of ramen that he had convinced one of the susceptible female cooks to give to him. "They aren't happy they're being kept here with nothing to do, sitting and waiting." He raised his eyebrows at Shikamaru with a flick of his chopsticks.  
"And who can blame them? I mean…we don't even know of this samurai attack is even going to happen! The royals decided to keep us all here for their own protection, which isn't in any obvious danger! I mean, come on! Isn't that _slightly_ selfish?!"

"Naruto, shut up will you? Of course it's selfish, what did you expect? They're the damn royal family! What else are they going to be capable of?" Shikamaru responded irritably, gazing at Naruto's ramen envyingly.

Shikamaru never understood why women could put up with Naruto's boisterous personality and loud voice. But there he was, eating his goddamed bowl of delicious looking pork ramen. After the first three weeks of activity, life around here had slowed to a lethargic and monotonous pace. Hehadn't been run off his feet for a good four days, which was a relative miracle. As he sat there watching the sky darken, listening to the bustle of people getting ready for bed and Naruto's slurping, he thought about going home, getting out of the castle grounds.

Home to where though?

His only home was with his parents, and he had no intentions of returning to his father's jibes and mother's nagging. He hadn't returned to his childhood home since he had joined the army. He would write the occasional letter and send some money to them, but that was the extent of his filial piety.  
'Some son I am.' He smirked. Clambering to his feet, he bade Naruto goodnight and headed to their tent, ready for a good night's sleep.

Shikamaru was jolted awake by loud noises. As he drowsily tried to process the chaotic noises outside, he sprung up in horror when suddenly the tent wall was spattered with blood.  
'Shit!'  
Shaking Naruto awake quickly, he motioned for him to stay silent, and pointed to the blood on the tent. Once he had Naruto awake, Shikamaru cautiously looked out of the tent flap. The scene before him sent a jolt of horror down his spine.

Tents were burning, men were being slaughtered, and a sea of samurai were trying to force their way through the lines of guards into the castle. Glad of the fact he had been trained to sleep in his clothes, Shikamaru quickly pulled on his boots and grabbed his weapons before crouching and running, ducking from tent to tent.  
He had to reach the Ground Chief of Staff and organize the troops into some form of defense; otherwise all the plans he had formulated would be useless.  
'Dammit! I bet the samurai purposely waited this long just so we would become slack! Why didn't I think of this before?'

Suddenly, a katana was swinging at his head. Ducking, his body automatically sprung into action, parrying the strike. He hit back, throwing a kunai he had in is left hand. But the samurai was too fast and knocked it aside carelessly with his sword.

"Your puny weapons cannot defeat my katana, boy!"

The man twisted around, unleashing a deadly swing at Shikamaru. Belatedly, Shikamaru realized he didn't have his armour on, and that this second swing would slice straight through his torso.

'Oh…crap.' He closed his eyes and waited for death, but instead heard a gurgling cry and a thump. Screwing up his face, he tentatively peeked out at the cocky grin of Naruto.  
"What the hell were you doing?"

"Oh, just enjoying his company. What do you think? Did you have to wait that long before killing him?"

"Of course! Otherwise where would all the fun go?"

Shaking his head, Shikamaru continued to the Ground Chief of Staff's tent. When he reached it, he burst in, nearly knocking him over.

"Gomenasai." he muttered, bowing quickly. "Sarutobi-sama, what is our plan of action?"

"I don't know yet, we have been summoned to the Emperor's office. Come on!"  
Moving with a speed that belied his age, the Ground Chief of Staff sped across the campground.

"Sarutobi-sama, wait!" Shikamaru chased after him, fending off attacks and jumping over the spot fires.  
'Why are we meeting the Emperor _now_ of all times!' he thought angrily. 'Shouldn't we be organizing a counter-attack?!'

Ino was rudely awoken by Sakura's insistent shaking.  
"Princess! Wake up quickly!"

Ino got out of bed, still half-asleep. "What on earth is going on Haruno-san?"

"The palace is being attacked by the samurai, princess! Please hurry! We need to leave!"

Frightened awake, Ino hastily pulled on a _haori, _a short silk jacket, and was hurried towards her father's quarters. Upon arriving, she immediately noticed the tenseness in the air.

"Daddy?" She squeaked, forgetting to address him formally, she was so scared. "What's happening?"

"Darling, don't be frightened. Everything will be fine." He said, hugging her reassuringly. "I'm sending you and your mother away from the palace for now. You can meet once you're far from the palace grounds, okay?"

Nodding mutely, she snuggled deeper into his chest, not wanting to leave. "What will happen to you?"

"I'm staying here." He said firmly, allowing no room for argument. "And you're not to worry about me either, understood?"

"Yes father."

"Good. Your mother has already left, and you should get going now too. Now, Lieutenant General Kakashi, General Hyuuga and General Nara will escort you. You won't run into any danger with them protecting you."

He motioned for them to move forward. Ino suddenly realized that she was standing in the middle of a room full of men, wearing nothing but a summer dress and a jacket, with no shoes on. Flushing, she tried her best to appear nonchalant, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

"Are you alright to leave now sweetie?"

"Yes. I'll see you soon, right father?"

"Of course. Now hurry, before anyone catches you!" He pushed her gently towards the door.

Three tall men instantly surrounded her. One of them placed a hand on her arm and guided her as the procession moved forward swiftly. She twisted her head to the side, trying to see who it was. The man had long, dark hair, pulled into a very loose ponytail. He was tall and lean, with pale skin and, she realized with amazement, white eyes. He was decidedly very handsome, and she snapped her gaze forward again, before any telltale pink graced her cheeks.

Ino didn't know _why_ she always blushed around males, but it made her wish that she hadn't led such a secluded life. Perhaps if she had had a male friend when she was young, she wouldn't react so embarrassingly to the opposite gender now. Especially at a time like the present, when she should be far more concerned about her well being, rather than the warmth from his hand seeping through her thin dress.

Suddenly, a deafening bang resounded through the palace, and panicked shouting filled the air. The response from her guards was instantaneous, and she found herself squashed into a wall before she could even react. She squeaked indignantly but it was swallowed up by the chaotic noises of battle.

"The samurai must've broken through the front door." The silver haired man said grimly, looking down the corridor to his right.

"Great. Now what do we do?" drawled a familiar voice from her left. Ino looked up to see a very familiar, very irritating man.

'Oh wonderful.' She silently grumbled. 'How could I not pick up on his name being mentioned? I could have asked for a different guard! Now I've got to let _him_ protect _me,_ of all things. Fantastic.'

"We've got to get her out of the palace, now. Before our exit gets cut off." stated the white-eyed man calmly.

"Can we risk it?"

"We have no other choice."

"I don't know…what happens if they've surrounded us? We'll be walking straight into them. I don't like our chances of surviving _that_ meeting."

"Maybe if you had used your big brain and worn your armour, Nara, you wouldn't have to worry so much."

"Just because I was more concerned about getting to the meeting _alive_, Hyuuga, rather than spending 15 minutes putting on some stupid metal, doesn't mean that-"

"Excuse me gentlemen, but would you like to _move?_" Ino interrupted, summoning up her courage. She was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe in her cramped space between them and the wall. They all turned to look at her, before moving out a little.

"Pardon us, princess. We are just trying to decide what the best course of action is."

"Well, I don't think standing here is going to make us escape any faster." She commented bravely, hoping she wasn't pushing their tempers too far.

"The princess is right. We should get moving, if we have any hope of escaping."

Ino looked at General Nara is shock. He was agreeing with her?

"Very well. Let's go."

Ino was pulled from the wall, and rushed forward. She tried her best to keep up with the long strides of the soldiers, taking an odd sort of skip and jog every so often. 'How undignified.' She grumbled, stumbling in the partial darkness. The hard wooden floors were killing her feet. The traveling party stopped abruptly, sending her crashing into the man in front.

"Gomenasai…" she muttered, finding her balance again.

"Hmph."

She bit her lip angrily, trying to stop herself letting a long chain of insults fly at General Nara. 'Curse him to hell for being so aggravating!' she growled.

"What's wrong, Nara?" whispered the silver-haired man agitatedly.

"There are samurai approaching from the west corridor ahead. We can't get out through there anymore." He scrunched his brow up further in concentration. "Let me think…"

"I don't think we can afford much time, Nara!" The white-eyed man said, traces of agitation creeping into his voice.

Ino could hear the footsteps of men approaching, and realized that there was no way out of the palace, without somehow getting into that west corridor…  
"Wait! I know how to get out!"

The three men turned to look at her, surprised by her whispered exclamation.

"Follow me!"  
Pushing out of their protective circle, she scampered back down the hallway. Hearing them follow behind her, Ino slid open the door and entered the dark room cautiously. As the soldiers hurried in after her, she slid the door shut again and waited for her eyes to adjust.

"What are we doing in here?" an all-too-familiar voice grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"This is the way out, General Nara, and if you don't like it, feel free to leave now." Ino responded angrily, dropping all pretences of sophistication from her voice.  
Finding she could see again, Ino quickly made her way across to the large desk on the far side of the room. She dropped down and started fumbling in the dark, disappearing into the leg hollow.

"Princess? What are you doing?"

"I'm trying," she panted, trying to reach her arm further into the narrow gap, "to find the door latch."  
Suddenly, her fingers found purchase on a metal latch. 'Yes! Now, if I can just stretch my arm a bit more…'

A muffled _snap!_ came from behind the desk, and Ino scrambled to her feet quickly.  
"Alright, help me push this desk away." Seeing that the men weren't moving, she resisted the urge to scream.  
"Come _on!_ We don't have much time!"

In a flurry, they all appeared beside her, and before she could blink, the desk was clear across the room.

'Well…it didn't need to move THAT far…'  
Shaking her head, she pushed a section of the skirting board away, revealing a square of inky darkness.  
"Ok," she muttered, brushing the dust off her hands and turning to her bodyguards. "I used this tunnel when I was little, to sneak into the kitchen's pantry and eat the sweets that my mother wouldn't let me eat. I think it's big enough to still fit through, although it could be a bit difficult for you."

Allowing the three men to examine the tunnel entrance, she glanced nervously at the door. What would happen to her if the samurai caught them?

"I think I'll be able to just fit." She heard general Nara mutter uncertainly.

"Well, I don't."

"Me neither. My armour is too bulky." The pale-eyed man admitted begrudgingly.

"You two go in, we'll push the desk back and find a place to hide. The samurai aren't looking for soldiers, they're looking for the Imperial family members."

"Right. Princess, after you."

Ino's eyes widened. There was no way she was crawling into that tunnel with General Nara. She'd end up killing him herself, never mind the samurai!

"Are…are you sure you two can't fit? I don't like leaving you behind." She whispered hurriedly, hoping desperately they would change their minds.

"Don't worry about us, princess. By the time we get our armour off, the samurai will have found us. Besides, someone needs to stay behind anyway, to move the desk back into place." The masked lieutenant reassured her.

Realising there was no time to stay and argue with him, Ino bit her lip and nodded. Crawling through the dark space, she realised that it was pitch black inside, and very dusty with neglect.  
'Great, just great.' She grumbled, moving forward as quickly as she could. After seemingly an eternity, Ino felt the familiar rough wooden boards under her hands and breathed relievedly, knowing they had reached their destination, reaching above her head to push up the trapdoor.  
Peering cautiously over the rim, she managed to make out the huge bags of rice and food-laden shelves of the palace kitchen's pantry. Standing up, she scrambled out of the tunnel and stood up, glad of the comforting darkness and quiet.

"Well, that was fun." Someone drawled behind her, and Ino nearly jumped out of her skin. She had forgotten all about General Nara. Turning to face him, she swallowed her laughter, taking in his rumpled appearance. His face was smeared with dirt, and his hair and clothes were disheveled and dusty. Realising she probably hadn't fared any better, Ino self-consciously looked down at her now filthy dress and jacket and sighed.

"Right, after you Nara-san." She said, moving aside for him to leave the huge pantry first.

"Um," he hesitated, causing her to look sharply at him. Now what?

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know where we are, your highness."

Ino restrained herself from slapping her forehead. Honestly, why had her father given this man a promotion? He was completely hopeless.  
"We're in the kitchen's pantry, Nara-san." She explained slowly, gritting her teeth with every word. "And we are _trying_ to escape an attack from the samurai. Sound familiar to you?"

"I mean, I don't know where the palace kitchen is in respect to the escape route, _your highness._" He answered testily, clearly just as annoyed as her. "Which means that I don't know _how _to escape from here." Ino could swear she heard him add a whispered 'duh' on the end.

"Fine! I'll just hold your hand and lead you out to the corridor, shall I? Then maybe your brains will return to you!" Ino replied, her voice rising to a barely controlled shout.  
'Honestly, this man brings out the absolute worst in me!'

"No need to shout." He responded calmly, only serving to anger her more.

Turning, Ino stormed out of the pantry and strode through the kitchen. Bursting into the brightly lit hallway, Ino paused momentarily, blinded by the sudden change of light. Suddenly, someone grabbed her and covered her mouth with their hand. Panicking, she instinctively bit down on the hand and kicked out, while sending her elbow into their gut.  
Hearing a muffled 'oof', she struggled from their grip and bolted down the hallway, controlling her urge to scream and draw more attention. As she rounded the corner, she lost her footing on the highly polished floor and felt her ankle twist painfully as she crashed down.

All of a sudden, she felt all her energy and anger drain out of her, leaving her feeling exhausted and scared and alone. Gripping her ankle tightly, Ino dragged herself behind a large pot plant and broke into hysterical tears. Why was this happening to her? Her life had been so safe and unexciting, and suddenly everything was spinning out of her control. Now people were always attacking her out of nowhere, her home was under siege, and her life was at stake.

Ino nearly screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and kicked out at the person, belatedly realising her kick had only made her ankle throb even more painfully.

"Hey, it's just me!"

Looking up, she recognised General Nara's dark eyes, and before she quite understand what she was doing, she had grabbed his shirt and was crying stormily into it.

"Mendokuse…what did you think you were doing back there? Running out like that! No wonder that guy managed to attack you!" he groaned, and Ino only cried harder at the memory.

"I'm s-s-sorry." She sobbed. "I b-bit him and elbowed him, and m-managed to g-get away, but th-then I fell over and my a-ankle really h-h-hurts!"

"You hit him? I was wondering who made my job easier. All I had to do was stick a kunai into-" Ino snapped her head up in shock, and scrambled away from him. That man was dead?!

"Oh, right. You shouldn't have heard about that." General Nara frowned. "What's wrong with your ankle?"

Ino looked down at her foot, and saw to her dismay that her ankle had already started to swell up. "I think I sprained it."

"Dammit." He muttered, taking her foot into his hand and examining it. "It's pretty bad. Do you think you can walk?"

Ino stood up shakily and took a tentative step forward, before a bolt of pain shot up her leg. Leaning against the wall, she forced herself not to cry.  
"I don't think so." Just as she finished her statement, shouts came from the hallway behind them.

"Mendokuse…guess they discovered their buddy."

Ino looked fearfully behind her, realising how bad their situation was.  
"There's an exit not too far from here, if I can just make a run for it…" she suggested weakly.

General Nara look at her skeptically, then slumped his shoulders in defeat.  
"Fine. I guess we don't have any other choice."

Ducking under her arm, he gave her something to lean on. "Ready?" he muttered, checking behind them. Ino set her jaw determinedly and nodded.

"Ready."

Shikamaru felt his arms tire under his load.

Not for the first time, he had somehow ended up carrying the Princess of Japan, except this time he had to try and run at the same time. After the first twenty meters, the princess's ankle gave out, and now he was trying to escape from the castle grounds without running into any remaining samurai.

He noted with satisfaction that most of them were busy defending themselves from the army, who were using the battle formations he had created.  
'At least all those days of work were worth something.'

Shikamaru spotted one of the many secret messenger gate exits and ran towards it. While the princess wasn't that heavy, she was no light weight either. His arms where aching as he passed through the gate, and he was immensely glad when he saw his friend Major Inuzuka beckoning him over from his horse.

"How did you know I was going to come out of here?" he panted, putting the princess down on the ground.

"Hyuuga and Kakashi told the Ground Chief where you guys had gone, so he sent me over here to meet you." Kiba looked down at the princess with mild interest. "I can see you've been having an exciting time."

"Best time of my life." Shikamaru grunted, busy stretching his back. "What's the plan now? At least, I'm guessing our plan has changed?"

"Yeah. We're riding over to Shukkei Inn to meet the Empress's party. Going to stay the night and wait for further instruction tomorrow morning. Maybe we're going to come back here, if the army finishes off the samurai in time. Not sure what the orders are after that, though."

"Am I to ride as well?" asked a tired voice.

Kiba looked down in surprise, he had forgotten all about the princess. "I don't think so, your majesty. You can ride with one of us if you like, since I could only bring two horses with me."

"Very well." She sighed, standing unsteadily and taking a hold of Kiba's outstretched hand. "I'm sure General Nara is quite tired of my company by now, I shall ride with you."

Shikamaru smirked, understanding the hidden message of her statement. Just because he had helped her back in the palace didn't mean she had to like him.  
"Fine by me." He consented lazily, and swung himself up into his saddle. Soon they were cantering along an overgrown but otherwise well-maintained road.

Shikamaru couldn't help but think back on the night's events as he rode alongside Kiba's horse. He had been honestly surprised by the princess's actions, not only by her quick thinking and her capability to disable her attacker, but also her dropping of her façade. When she had been shouting at him in the pantry and cried into his shirt, Shikamaru realised that it probably been the first time she had exposed her feelings to basically a complete stranger.

'Mendokuse…' he groaned. Despite his sense discomfort, he couldn't help but feel strangely privileged all the same. Glancing over at her, Shikamaru furrowed his brow.

He hadn't really noticed it before, but the princess was truly beautiful. She had a strong profile, with a straight nose and determined chin, but she also carried her features with elegance. She was tall and slim, and even though her face was smeared with dirt and tear tracks, she still looked striking.  
Suddenly his brain caught up with his muscles, and Shikamaru snapped his gaze forward, berating himself furiously.

'What the hell was that all about?'

--

**A/N: OH! RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS! Hahaha :D Well, this chapter took the longest to write I think. It was all those action scenes. Phew. Well, Ino and Shika have made some progress! (not really) -shot- Ok, ok. Give me a few more chapters, haha. Believe me, there IS point to this! :P Truly, truly.**

**Until then!**

**Tangerine-fever**


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